Integrating With The Rest Of The School

[Guest]

Hi everyone!

 

I'm hoping to collect a selection of your ideas/suggestions so that I can decide how much contact my new YR class should have with the rest of the school from next September. (This is my 1st year at the school)

 

This year has proved to be an absolute nightmare for some of my more timid children. We have morning playtime at the same time as the rest of the school, with a choice of our reception playground (which anyone else from the school can come to at that time) and "the big playground" which is around the other side of the school building. This is OK, and so long as I stay with the little ones until 1/2 term or so it's not a real problem.

 

It's lunchtime that's been a real issue this year. YR go to lunch with Y1 & 2, then the juniors come along 15 mins later. The faster eaters go out to play after about 5 mins with the juniors. The slower eaters are left to finish off though, without so much adult supervision, and often with y5/6 sitting at the table with them. Most children are OK with this, and usually the older children are really nice to the little ones. Still, it's been really hard for some of the children, who have been not eating so they can get out of the hall faster, & really afraid of the big ones. I'm trying to get it so the big ones aren't allowed to eat with the little ones, but that's not possible as they'll have nowhere to sit at all!

 

So that's why I need you to tell me what you do!!! I do have some ideas but would love to hear from you all to collect some fresh perspectives - please please!!!

 

Dianne xxx

[JacquieL]

Hmm this is a difficult one depending on the physical aspects of a school. I would like to do away with a morning break going out with the Infants, but as we are only a small school it is not so bad as our KS1 have a different break time from the Juniors. We also provide items in buckets for them to play with. (I don't have access to outdoors from my classroom.)

My Reception children begin with half-days in September for 3 weeks and they stay for lunch for the third week before they start going home at one o'clock. We have a nursery and they use the nursery outdoor play area at lunctimes until after the Autumn half-term. When they do go out with the rest of the school at lunchtime the playground is split into two zones one for each R/KS1 and one for KS2. It isn't ideal but it helps stop them from being overwhelmed by older children. We also have a lunchtime buddy system so they get to know 2 Y6 children who come and play with them.

Once warmer weather comes all the children can use the school field at lunchtimes and so the children are spread out over a wider area.

Take your SMT to see the problems. Health and safety issues usually focus peoples minds on solving issues. Small children are very vulnerable when year 6 children are racing around!

[Guest Jillbetts]

Hi

In my experience it is better to have a Yr5 girl looking after YrR and they help them get through Lunch time and from the table they escort the pupils to the playground and play with them. A buddy system is best.

[mundia]

Dianne, Im not quite with why you have your own play area for reception but that its used by everyone else as well. Is it possible for you to just use your playground for your children? Alternatively, agree different times (eg through some indoor outdoor free flow type system)?

 

At dinner times, would it be possible for you to bring the lunch time forward by just 10 minutes, to allow for the slower eaters to finish before the older children arrive? We do that out of need for the space rather than anything else as we dont have enough room for all the children to sit down at once. So nursery have lunch at 11.30 (with the staff), reception at 11.45 and KS1 at 12.00. Our dinner supervisers are employed for slightly different times as well and we start back earlier in the afternoon than the rest of the school.

[Guest]

Hi Dianne

One of our local primary schools take their YR children for lunch at about 11.40 for the first half term so that they get used to the routine without any of the older children about. They are then very well supervised when they go with the other children after half term.

Linda

[Beau]

When my two older children were in primary school, the school was fantastic at getting all the children to help each other. All through reception, Y4 children were paired with YR for reading once a week. They also had special activities once or twice a term where the older and younger classes were mixed and put into groups to make books or displays together. This gave the younger children more confidence as they were used to being with the older ones and instilled a sense of community in the whole school. And can I just say that boys can be just as good at being buddies as girls! My son won the 'citizenship award' in Y6 for being so good with the younger children.

 

Carol